Hugo P. Thomas about JUNIORS

“This is how I experienced my teenage years: shockingly brutal”

Why does everyone want to go on holiday to those charming French villages? Jordan and Patrick live there and they are bored to death. Now even their PlayStation console – faithful companion in gloomy moments – is letting them down. They come up with a brilliant plan: Jordan will pretend to be severely ill and launch an online campaign to make his last wish come true: a PlayStation 5. The plan seems to work, but the lie turns against them with a force that they couldn’t foresee.

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Froukje Tan about KUNG FU LION

“The real leader must take the back seat”

Two frustrated teenage boys train at the same Kung Fu school. Jimmy is on the verge of becoming a troublemaker, eager to use his Kung Fu for power and prestige. His ego is bruised when Li Jie joins the school – the new kid in town has great martial arts skills. To curb their rivalry, the shifu pairs them together to perform as part of a prestigious lion dance ceremony, a traditional symbol of good luck and prosperity. 

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Stefan Westerwelle about WHAT THE FINN?

“A surprising amount of dentists”

Finn’s recently divorced parents both have busy schedules to attain. That is why the boy finds himself alone on the train today, travelling between his two homes. On his first unaccompanied journey, he is robbed by a guy on the train. Situations get out of hand quickly and soon Finn finds himself in the company of a girl named Jola, riding a stolen tractor on their way to the Baltic seas, chased by the police and a gang of bikers. 

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Yana Titova about DYAD

“You might wonder what kind of a monster she is”

Watching DYAD might not brighten your day, but it might make the world a better place. This intense youth film hit Bulgaria like a bomb, and the way in which young people’s problems are exposed might even result in concrete governmental action, according to director Yana Titova. DYAD is above all a ‘high tension’ movie. I can’t remember a single scene offering me a moment of redemption. Scenes that start seemingly harmless, ultimately build up tension that sometimes is hard to endure, but pays off greatly in the end.

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Khalil Ghazal about BULLETS

“A cocktail of explosive madness”

When his best friend starts dealing drugs for a local gang, 12 year old Abdel has no other choice than helping him when he gets in trouble. Against his will Abdi gets drawn into criminal activities and is held responsible for the death of a gang member. Catching up with normal life no longer seems an option, but you might wonder what ‘normal life’ really means in the segregated area where he grows up.

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Neven Hitrec about THE DIARY OF PAULINA P

“We created drama with nothing but good people”

Paulina’s start in the third grade comes with new obstacles: a fight with her best friend, a haunted house around the corner, and a new classmate trying to steal her friend. Even the choice between two admirers is more complicated than expected. At home things aren’t going too well either, now that mum and dad always seem to be arguing. Despite all these difficulties Paulina keeps on spreading energy and love towards the people around her.

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Mette Korsgaard about BRAVEHEARTS

“Filming in a place where you never know what will happen”

Luna (13), Aziz (16) Kayla and Laura (both 17) are courageous teenagers who found their way to Joanna House, Denmark’s only crisis centre for people under 18. Mette Korsgaard interviewed them about their childhood and life stories. They, who suffered mental illness, drug abuse or brutal violence from their parents, are the real BRAVEHEARTS.

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Jenifer Malmqvist about DAUGHTERS

“Kids’ grief is like a zebra’s stripes: on and off”

Sofia, Hedvig and Maja are sisters with a common sorrow: their mother Carolina took her own life in 2010. Each of them is dealing with the pain on her own… until Swedish director Jenifer Malqvist pointed her camera at them. Suddenly the girls talk about things that seemed long forgotten, like fragments from another life. The camera captures them during different phases in their life, and always stays with the girls – this is not their mother’s story, it’s theirs. 

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